Blog site for us Kay's

Eyes With Pride

It’s been three years, but I remember the morning I found out about your passing like it was yesterday. My first reaction was “What?! Are you sure?” To me, and to many others, you were invincible and a superhero… you couldn’t die, you were going to be GNP forever and you would just keep molding the future great peoples of our world.

Then, as more people commented online, it was clear that this was no ruse and reality set in. It’s hard to put emotions into words, but it was an extremely tough day for us all. We helped each other cope with memories of pranks, laughs, and amazing performances. We found solace in the music and camaraderie that we had; as a fellow bando said those three years ago: “Some of us met each other for the first time that night, separated by decades but united in our shared experience. It’s funny how the UMMB tends to blur social boundaries. After all these years, I tend to forget who I marched with and who I didn’t. They are all my friends.” Thanks Amanda

I never went to DMA, and was only a Field Staff member. I don’t know many of the “Starred Thoughts,” but I can’t deny the affect you had on my life. Being a member of the UMMB family gave me so much more than just a group of people that play music together. It truly is a second family; I met my wife through the band. I learned that you can always do better (“put your hand as high above your head as you can… now put it higher”). You were aggressive in your pushing us, and we grumbled, but we did it… can we put our finger on why? Maybe not, but I don’t really care because we all achieved our individual greatness because of it.